N. R. Narayana Murthy Quotes

Infosys is an absolute meritocracy. Even in a meritocracy, other things being equal, you have to give opportunity to the more experienced candidate.

A professorship appeals very much because I enjoy being with younger people.

A clear conscience is the softest pillow in the world.

Although we have enough healthcare support, often it doesn't reach the poor and needy. In this scenario, technology is the best solution.

Organisations with decision-making speed and imagination will thrive as nobody can claim to have a monopoly over creativity.

I was the first businessman to say, 'You should give tax benefit to only small companies. You should say your profits are exempt to a limit of Rs. 50 crore or so, but beyond that, you should pay taxes.' I have been arguing with successive finance ministers on this.

Respect, recognition, and reward flow out of performance.

I do not believe in any legacy. The past is dead and gone.

Every company has to identify what I call its strategic resources, and make sure that it grabs as much of its strategic resources as possible.

Rahul Gandhi is very idealistic and a very decent human being. He has real concerns for the downtrodden.

I think every country has to recognize its competitive advantage and liberate its strengths to be a partner in global trade, and that's the only way you can survive and succeed.

Even if a company is taken private, at some stage people want to make it public.

Performance leads to recognition. Recognition brings respect. Respect enhances power. Humility and grace in one's moments of power enhances dignity of an organisation,

Science is about unravelling nature.

I've always enjoyed mathematics. It is the most precise and concise way of expressing any idea.

Entrepreneurship is all about an idea that creates differentiated business value to one's customers. You must be able to convince your customers about the benefits that association with you or your products will give them. People are ready to pay if they are convinced about your services or products.

Growth is painful. Change is painful. But, nothing is as painful as staying stuck where you do not belong.

The velocity of decision making in government was extraordinary slow. It took 18 to 24 months and 15 to 20 trips to Delhi to get a license to import computers.

Kumar Mangalam Birla is one of the most respected business persons.

The lack of financial strength to avail healthcare is a major challenge.

Hinduism has an enormous capacity to absorb from outside influences and accept it in a peaceful and steady manner without perturbing the system.

When you run a part of the relay and pass on the baton, there is no sense of unfinished business in your mind. There is just the sense of having done your part to the best of your ability. That is it. The hope is to pass on the baton to somebody who will run faster and run a better marathon.

It's very important to learn quick lessons from your failures, very important to recognize symptoms of failure pretty early, and it is very, very important to not to be attached too much to the idea - you have to know when to give up an idea.

The biggest impediment to growth is in our minds and not in the world outside, and only constant in the world is change.

The principle of democracy is all about delegation of power by the vast majority of citizens through a few chosen representatives chosen on merit and competence.

A great leader also has the ability to make people an inch taller in his presence.

I have always looked at my competencies before accepting any responsibility.

The world expects India to be one of the leaders in solving the problems of politics and economics. India sits at the high table in most major multilateral deliberations. What India says is heard with attention and seriousness.

Leadership is about doing the right thing, even if it going against a vast number of naysayers and mediocre people.

I think there are opportunities outside India as well as in India. In fact, some of the largest projects that most Indian software companies are doing are in India.

Effective use of technology is important to deliver healthcare. By leveraging technology, you can bring down lack of access and cost of healthcare.

You do not have to be the son of a rich man to be an entrepreneur. Today kids are far more willing to take risks because they've seen high rewards.

When people get rich, they cut themselves off from the context that has earned them these riches - the context of the common men. They forget they are part of society.

I think people like Bill Gates, who have given away enormous sums of money, are shining examples for all of us to follow.

I have known Mr. Kumar Mangalam Birla for a long time. He is a good man. He is a decent man.

The primary difference that I have found between the system of education in India and other countries, particularly the U.S., is that they focus on problem solving and relating theories to reality around them. These two things are lacking in the education system in India.

The unique instrument to eradicate poverty and usher in prosperity is our youth.

India is known for much development that has happened since our independence, but at the same time, we have also failed on many levels. It is the responsibility of the future generation to ensure that all these failures are corrected and help create a civilised society with equal opportunities for one and all.

I believe all universities should at least offer courses in politics and policy implementation.

If longevity is the best index to measure a company, a basic requirement is the ability of the corporation to generate new and new leaders.

All developmental activities for the common man such as education, healthcare, shelter and food distribution should be handled by reputed private sector institutions. It should be a competitive market in order to prevent the formation of monopolies.

India needs to sustain its high growth rate.

I am what we call a 'karma yogi' in Sanskrit. A karma yogi is somebody who believes in data. I collect a lot of data.

I think, my own personal view is there should be higher and higher levels of autonomy; government should not interfere in setting up colleges, in running colleges. The market, the society will decide which is a good university, which is not a good university, rather than government mandating.

If the U.S. became the undisputed superpower that it is today, it was primarily because of its technology, whether it is in transportation, agriculture, high-tech industry, medicine, etc.

In order to improve healthcare, we'll have to spend more on it, increase accountability and decentralize services, enforce standards and reinstate people's faith in it.

Nobody is bothered about an institution more than its alumni.

Even the most dishonest officer would want to be seen as a role model for his children.

The future of any corporation is as good as the value system of the leaders and followers in the organization.

I think India has several advantages in the knowledge sector, in the software sector.

I am a man in a hurry.

You need to mesh the voices of people with expertise and meritocracy.

I have always focused on the bottom line.

You become a star not because of your title; you become a star because you are adding star value to the company

Indian IT corporations have made work in the U.S. much more efficient by enhancing their productivity and quality of work. We have helped to add sufficient value to the corporations in the U.S.

To me, patriotism is about working ethically and wholeheartedly in our chosen field.

Today, the biggest bottleneck to the growth of a corporation is availability of good talent.